Hot Off The Grill

By FARIDAH BEGUM
Photo by BRIAN MOH

The ikan bakar is one irresistible dish not only during Ramadan but all year round.

THE aroma of grilled fish never fails to arouse the growling stomach, especially during the fasting month and at 5pm in the evening.

Grilled fish, or ikan bakar, literally translated from Malay to mean burnt fish, can actually make or break a fast.

It is hard not to imagine the slightly charred fish – fresh, flavourful and succulent – eaten with the delightful kicap or air asam, which is the dark soya sauce or tamarind juice with sliced shallots, bird’s-eye chillies and a dash of lime to go.


Tantalising: The ikan bakar, grilled to perfection, with some chilli to spice it up.

It is also one of the dishes that will ensure you have the second and third helping of rice.

The fish on its own is truly healthy as not a drop of oil is added while it is being grilled. And if the fish is really fresh, it can be had on its own without the sauces.

So, what actually makes ikan bakar so irresistible?

If at all, it is just a fish that has some salt or none at all rubbed over it and then it is placed on the grill, with the heat coming from hot glowing embers of charcoal.

In some instances, sambal or a chilli paste is slapped on to the fish to flavour it. Either way, it is not the ingredients but the slow cooking over the hot embers that brings out the great flavour of the fish.

A word of caution if you are trying to grill the fish at home: Make sure you have glowing embers at the bottom of your grill and not a bonfire as it could turn your fish into a log – hard, dry and burnt.

A good way to ensure that the fish is not charred beyond recognition is by wrapping the fish in a piece of banana leaf. Besides, this would add a nice fragrant aroma to the fish.

Many types of fish can be grilled but the best is the ikan kembung (mackerel), ikan pari (stingray), ikan jenahak, ikan bawal hitam, siakap, kerapu and ikan merah.

Oily fish such as terubok is equally good for grilling, as the fish would be flavoured with its own oil. Terubok is normally grilled with its scales.

The fish must be fresh, meaning it is preferably not from the freezer and its eyes are bright and not bloodshot. If the fish is even just a notch under fresh, it will not be an aroma to look forward to but a stink and very mushy flesh, nothing like the firm flesh that fish ought to be after it is cooked.

At many ikan bakar outlets, patrons are allowed to choose their “catch” and it is immediately cleaned and placed on the grill.

Besides fish, other seafood like prawns, squids, mussels and crabs are also part of the ikan bakar menu.

Good eaten on its own, the ikan bakar is even better with some rice, a hot and sour soup like tom yam or a spicy version such as ox-tail or rib soup and a nice vegetable dish, especially kailan with salted fish to round up the dish.

The fish is done simply enough but to have it with equally simple complementing dishes, it is the pathway to heaven!

Ikan bakar is easily available this month at Ramadan bazaars nationwide. Tom yam or Thai food stalls in most cities and towns serve grilled fish and are often the recommended dish of the outlet.

It is an especially popular dish that has its own dedicated outlets in all coastal towns in Malacca, Penang, Kedah, Kelantan, Terengganu and Pahang.

In Malacca, a dedicated seafood complex was built in Umbai, Serkam, where some 20 traders sell grilled fish and seafood nightly accompanied with packets of nasi lemak, piled in sixes on plates at every table.

In Penang, at all night food areas, especially those where you can dine al fresco, grilled fish will definitely be on the menu.

In Kelantan, Tawang is the most popular town where grilled fish is available, besides the numerous Thai food outlets in Kota Baru.

Terengganu has grilled fish outlets scattered all along its coastline and the people here have grilled fish almost on a daily basis.

In Pahang, both sides of the road heading towards Pekan from Kuantan are dotted with fresh seafood outlets, where grilled fish tops the menu. A recommended outlet is Tanjung, where some 20 species of fish are available.

In Kuala Lumpur, The Star Guide to Malaysian Street Food recommends Sri Melaka Ikan Panggang in Jalan Bellamy (behind the Istana Negara) where the fish is marinated in a mixture of turmeric, salt, pepper and chili powder and then grilled.

In city centre, in Jalan Petaling, next to the Hong Leong Bank, is a stall that has a long queue after 6pm where fish and seafood are wrapped in aluminium foil and grilled.

In Kampung Baru, the Juara Tomyam is one of the best places to have grilled fish all year round.

Near the National Mosque in Jalan Cenderasari, Ikan Bakar Pak Din, which is Stall No.5 of the Kompleks Makan Tanglin, is a hot favourite, where the fish is only marinated with turmeric, salt and pepper and then grilled. It is the tamarind sauce that makes the difference here.

Simply Smashing

Makan Makan: By FARIDAH BEGUM

You can cook fast and still dazzle your guests with showy and tasty stuff.

ONE of the most important lessons that I learned in the kitchen when I was in my teens was that you must be positive that what you serve will be good and tasty.

I believe that food is not about gluttony but about taking something into your body that you should appreciate and enjoy.

For this fortnight, I present to you a dish that embraces all cultures in the world – the briyani.

Call it any other name: paella, nasi minyak, pilau, kedgeree or any rice dish that combines all and sundry and it is this!

The prawn briyani is not unheard of as many of our Malaysian cooks are creative and have tried everything and anything that can be turned into a popular dish.


Little gourmet: My son Mustafa Kamel trying out (from front) the calamari rings, raita and prawn briyani.

For me, the briyani need not be loaded with ghee or cholesterol-high stuff but it must be pleasing to the palate and contributes to a great evening with family and friends.

During this holy month of Ramadan, the making of the briyani, as we prefer to call it here, is seen as an elaborate effort to show off to guests that you can really cook. Many may scoff at this, citing time and too much effort as reasons not to cook it.

Let me show you how easy and quick it is to do it and still be able to dress and relax while waiting for your guests to arrive.

I was also requested by friends to do something with calamari rings, which are hugely popular not only with the children but also with snacking adults.

Calamari rings are such that you should not spoil the batter coating it and you must never overcook it or you’ll end up with rubber bands.

Enjoy the prawn briyani with a cucumber and tomato raita that also makes a good topping for the calamari rings or rather a dip for a sourish and creamy taste.

Garnishing for the briyani is really up to you. It also depends on how you want it presented.

Thinly sliced omelettes or full-boiled quail eggs, sliced chillies, chopped coriander, fried onions and even fried almonds and fried chopped garlic are all great enhancements to an already great dish that can be eaten on its own or with rendang, dry masala chicken, beef or mutton and even with roasted chicken or other meats.


Prawn Briyani
Ingredients:
4 cups Basmati rice

2 packs of marinated garlic butterfly-cut prawns

2 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp ghee or butter

1 big onion – sliced

One stick of cinnamon, three each of cardamoms and clove and two pieces star anise

A handful of cashew nuts

3cm ginger and 3 cloves garlic (blended finely)

2 tbsp briyani spice (available at all supermarkets ready-mixed)

Salt to taste

1 tin evaporated milk

Chopped coriander leaves, fried onions, sliced chillies for garnish



Method:

Measure the rice in a measuring cup. Taking the same measurement, make up the same amount with the evaporated milk and water to top up. Heat up your rice cooker and put the olive oil and ghee in. When thoroughly melted, fry the cashew nuts until slightly browned before adding the spices and sliced onion.

When fragrant, add the blended ginger and garlic paste and sauté for another minute. Put in the briyani spice, salt to taste and sauté for a minute.

Add the evaporated milk and water and cover the rice cooker and let it boil. Meanwhile, wash your rice and drain the excess water totally.

When the milk and spices are boiling, quickly add in the rice and prawns, arranging the prawn so that it is buried in the rice.

Cover and let it cook. Once the water dries up, fluff the rice, slowly spading the rice from underneath to the top so that all the rice is cooked evenly. Once it is cooked, dish up to garnish and serve.




Calamari Rings and Cucumber-Tomato Raita
Ingredients:
1 packet tempura calamari rings, deep-fried and drained

Some salad leaves

1 cucumber, diced as preferred

10 cherry tomatoes, halved or

1 tomato, chopped up

1tsp salt

2 tbsp natural yoghurt

Juice from 2 limes



Method:

Put the cucumber and tomatoes together in a bowl. Add the salt, yoghurt and half the lime juice and mix well with a spoon, using a folding motion so as not to crush the tomatoes.

Taste and balance between the salt and lime juice to get a tart and easy blend. Chill it until ready to eat.

On a plate, arrange the salad leaves and the calamari rings on top of it. To eat, take a salad leave, wrap it round the calamari ring and add a little raita on top of it for a healthy snack.

Or have it with the briyani, as the calamari rings will add a great crunch to the whole meal.

From Boat To Wok

By CLARA CHOOI
Photo by LEW YONG KAN

AS any discerning seafood lover will tell you, seafood is best eaten when the catch is fresh from the sea.

In the town of Sitiawan, located some 88km from Ipoh, this is the only way seafood is eaten; the morning haul goes straight from the boat to the wok.

In fact, a typical day of any restaurant owner at the town’s many coastal villages begins before the crack of dawn on a fishing boat out at sea.


Scrumptious: Ling Hock Ping showing some of the seafood specialities at his restaurant.

One such person is Ling Hock Ping, 50, whose restaurant Ah Pek Lee Kou Hock Seafood is one of the town’s most frequented open-air eatery.

The outlet is just one of the many popular restaurants located along Jalan Pasir Panjang in Kampung Cina.

“Whatever food I serve for the day comes from my morning catch. That way, everything is always fresh,” he said when met recently.

Hock Ping, who took over the restaurant business from his late father Ling Loo Loo 25 years back, goes out fishing every morning for six days in a week.

“We leave at about 5am every day when the sea is calm. My men and I will load up my sampan and spend a few hours fishing until our haul is big enough,” he said.

Once a sizeable amount of ikan kerapu, senangin, ubi, jenahak, bawal putih, oysters, mantis prawns, kerang, siput manis (sea snails) and tiger crabs are caught, the haul would immediately be brought back to the restaurant and business begins at 10am.

Hock Ping’s wife, Beh Ah Luan, 54, does most of the cooking at the restaurant and is helped by the couple’s three children, Keong Seong, 30, Siew Hiong, 27, and Siew Ing, 23.

Now, though the freshness of the seafood is important, the style it is cooked in is really what creates a scrumptious dish.

Here is where the restaurant earned its reputation for serving some of the town’s tastiest seafood creations.

Anything that gets steamed, fried, or grilled in Beh’s wok is always “drool-worthy” and customers there would vouch for that.

“I think what makes our food special is the fact that we created all the recipes.

“Everything was by trial and error. We taste the food at other restaurants, pick up the kind of taste that we find best and try to recreate it here by improvising,” said Hock Ping.

One of the restaurant’s most ordered dish is its steamed mantis prawns.

“People love this dish because it is steamed with butter and served over steamed egg,” said Hock Ping.

Steaming it, he added, brings out the natural juices of the mantis prawns and the butter lends the dish a slightly salty flavour.

Another delicacy and a favourite among many patrons is the siput manis (sea snails) dish.

“The snails are naturally sweet. All we need to do is steam them,” said Hock Ping.

To eat the snails, a toothpick or a fork is used to pry the snails out from their shells.

Some may find this a little distasteful but the sweet and juicy taste of the snail is enough to convince anyone otherwise.

Crab lovers, in turn, will not be disappointed when eating at Hock Ping’s restaurant.

Whether cooked in assam curry, sweet and sour chilli sauce, spicy black pepper gravy or steamed with butter, his fresh flower crab dishes will have you planning your next visit to the outlet.

The bright orange palm-sized crabs are so fresh that they are easily pried open and the slightly salty taste of the sea still drips from its tender meat.

Another seafood favourite at all of Sitiawan’s restaurants is the fried oyster omelette dish.

At Hock Ping’s outlet, the eggs are beaten to a fluff and fried together with the oysters, chillies and onions until they are brown and crispy on the outside and soft and fragrant on the inside.

“Besides this, I also have another oyster speciality – the bihun soup with oyster,” he said.

Instead of using the regular bihun, Hock Ping uses thick, white rice vermicelli imported from China.

“The taste of the bihun is different and it affects the soup by giving it a milky taste,” he said.

The bihun is boiled together with ginger, onions, lots of fresh vegetables, prawns, mussels and, of course, oysters.

“We make sure the soup is boiled long enough so the taste of the seafood comes out in the soup,” he said.

Besides that, the restaurant also serves all styles of prawns – buttered, steamed or cooked in tamarind and chilli padi.

Its fish dishes, too, are mouth-watering, whether cooked with ginger or deep-fried and laced with soy sauce.

“Still, at the end of the day, what’s most important to the customers is how fresh the seafood is.

“One way of knowing if your fish is fresh is by looking at its eyes. When they (the eyeballs) come out of their sockets when they are cooked, then you know it is fresh,” he said.

Of course, like all eateries in Sitiawan, the best way to wash down a wholesome seafood meal is by drinking cool toddy (coconut flower wine).

In fact, if you are lucky, you may just be just in time to taste the sweet and sour alcoholic beverage just as soon as it is made.

“Here in our shop, we buy our toddy from the local brewers. But everything is fresh, as usual, and made on the very same day it is served,” said Hock Ping.

So seafood lovers, take note.

Big Crowds Throng Ramadan Bazaar

By STEVEN DANIEL
Pictures by.MALEX YAHAYA

The annual Ramadan month draws over half a million visitors to the bazaar in Taman Cempaka in Malacca.

The easy access to the Melaka Sentral bus station and the popular shopping mall attract the visitors to the bazaar from 3pm until the wee hours of the following day.

An array of food items including kuih muih are the favourite food for breaking fast for Muslims while other would return later to shop for clothes from the numerous stalls.

The savoury dishes on sale include ayam percik, fried mee, yong tau foo, pulut udang, nasi kerabu, nasi padang, roti jala, satay, roti bom, nasi tomato, nasi campur and many more other dishes.

To quench the thirst, there are stalls selling coconut water, sugarcane, orange juice, sirap Bandung with jellies, teh tarik, barli and kiwi juice.

As you enter the bazaar in the evening, the first thing you will see is the large number of people queuing patiently in front of the food stalls.

Apart from the noise from the smell of food, customers can also get themselves entertained by watching one of the hawkers, Amin Abdullah, aged 10, tossing roti canai’s with ease and grace with his small hands.

Amin who is the youngest among nine siblings had mastered the art of making roti canai from his father six months ago and his ambition was to become a businessman.

Edwin Lee, 31, said he enjoyed visiting the Ramadan bazaar every year because he was spoilt for choice with the amount of foods available.

“Sometimes you can buy certain types of food here where it is not available during the rest of the year,” Lee said after buying a murtabak Arab ayam.

The hawker who sold the murtabak, Mohd Jaafar, 40, said business is excellent during the fasting month when he easily sells off his 250 pieces of murtabak each day.


A ayam percik trader braving the heat as he lays rows of the delicacy on the hot coal.

After the break of fast, the stalls selling clothes, accessories and textiles are the focal point for the shoppers.

Sisters, Siti Aqidah, 18, Siti Hajah, 19, and Siti Abidah, 17, from Taman Peringgit were seen shopping for their Raya baju kurungs.

“This night market has the latest fashion trends that you normally won’t see in shopping centres, plus it is nice and cool to walk at night, “ Siti Aqidah said.

Bustling Restaurant Began With Humble Roots

By LIM CHIA YING
Photos by LOW LAY PHON

Koh Family Restaurant
1 Jalan Puteri 5/8
Bandar Puteri Puchong
Puchong
Tel: 03-80619621
Business hours: Daily, (8am to 9pm); closed on the first and third Mondays of the month.


Simple home-cooked dishes are what many would long for after a hard day’s work.

Even better if there was someone to serve the meals and cook it in an unpretentious manner.

That is what patrons can expect to find at the Koh Family Restaurant in Bandar Puteri Puchong, which specialises in homemade food.

The outlet has a thriving business with lunch and dinner crowds who love the Teochew-style dishes. But it all started from the humble roots of a small stall at Batu Road in 1978.


Favourite: Lemon Chicken is among the delights available at the outlet.

“I was serving dishes like vinegar pig’s trotter and pig’s mesentery pepper soup. In fact, the vinegar pig’s trotter was not initially part of the menu as I was merely cooking it for mothers who had delivered.

“Gradually, people were beginning to ask me to include on the menu,” chief chef and current restaurant owner Joe Koh said.

Then they moved their operations to Taman Kinrara Puchong where they have been operating for the last 13 years.


Signature dish: Kerabu Black Pomfret combines fried fish with the sweet and sour tang of kerabu.

Koh’s brother has now taken over the business so Koh dedicates his time fully to his current ‘baby’ at Bandar Puteri, which he opened some two years back.

His famous vinegar pig’s trotter and pig’s mesentery pepper soup have followed him here too, which are a delight to his loyal regulars.

“Vinegar pig’s trotter is good for blood nourishment. The vinegar that we use is sweeter and comes from China.

“This is because if it is meant to nourish the blood, then the dish cannot be too sour,” Koh explained.

The pig’s mesentery pepper soup is a recipe from his mother. The broth comes filled with accompaniments of meat, tomatoes, and salty vegetables, infused with the evident aroma of white pepper.

“I learnt how to cook this from my late mum, who was from China,” Koh said, acknowledging that he had some 30 years of experience in the food line.

Koh’s wife Annie said the soup must be boiled for at least two hours so that it does not just draw out the full goodness, but also to rid the salty vegetables off the ‘wind’.


Sweet treat: One of the boiled desserts available at Koh Family Restaurant.

The pepper, she added, was bought in its raw form by the packet from Sarawak.

“We pound the pepper ourselves too. The same goes for the chillies used to cook our assam stingray fish,” she said.

The restaurant also prides itself for its signature drinks like Fruity Cincau and the Soursop Delight.

The cincau drink is given a twist with the addition of pineapple cubes and nata-de-coco jelly while a dollop of finely crushed ice sits atop the glass.

Bear in mind, however, that the Soursop Delight may not be available as Annie said the fruit is a seasonal one.

She also recommended Aloe Vera with White Fungus, as aloe vera is said to have properties that promote good digestion and detoxification, while rejuvenating and moisturising the skin.


Unassuming: The modest façade of the restaurant.

There are also one-person dishes like Fried Meehoon with Dried Prawns and Salted Fish, Black Pepper Rice Vermicelli, and Fried Kway Teow with Bitter Gourd.

“They are our signature dishes,” Koh said.

“I learnt how to fry the kway teow with bitter gourd from an old ‘sifu’ from China.

“Bitter gourd actually helps heal people with itchy skin,” he asserted.

Also unique are the various types of ‘tong sui’ (sweet savoury desserts) like barley gingko which they cook themselves and the assorted range of kuih-muih and fried meehoon which are supplied to them.

The kuih-muih and noodles are served for breakfast but they are still available throughout the day if not finished.

Long Queue For Kassim’s Popiah

By STUART MICHAEL
Photos by GLENN GUAN

THE long queue at the popiah basah (wet popiah) stall at the Ramadan bazaar in Section 14, Petaling Jaya tend to astound passers-by.

Folks could be seen lining up at the stall as early as 2pm just to get their hands on the popular popiah. Rain or shine, nothing could stop the people from queuing up for the popiah made by Mohd Kassim M Ismail.


Hard at work: Kassim is not sure why many are hooked on his popiahs but he is surely not complaining about it.

A recent visit to the stall revealed a staggering line covering 50 metres right up to the mosque nearby.

According to Kassim, he learnt to make popiahs from his grandfather, the first to start selling it in the family.

“I have been making and selling popiah here for more than 20 years. None of the ingredients have changed from my grandfather's time and I sell them at RM1 each,” he said.


The much coveted popiah: The sauce seems to be the secret of its success.

Eventhough Kassim was equally baffled by his popiah's popularity, he conceded that he's grateful to be still in business after all these years.

“I am proud to continue my family's legacy and hopefully it will always be popolar,” he said.

So what's so special about the popiah?

Customer Fauziah Abas said the secret was in the sauce that Kassim used.

“Every popiah has the same ingredients but the sauce Kassim uses is tasty and authentic,'' she said.

Abbas P.K Rawthar, 76, who lined up for about half an hour to get his favourite popiah said he didn’t mind the waiting because the popiah was worth it.

“The ingredients blend well and of course the sauce makes all the difference,” he said.